FIRST AND SHORT

Week 9 Wonders: Top performers in the regular-season finale

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com

Here are the top showings from the final week of the season, including a defensive night for the ages, a seven-touchdown night at University School another monster performance from Oconomowoc quarterback Ben Nienhuis and some key showings in do-or-die games.

Bo Bassindale, Whitefish Bay. There was a lot of offense to go around in Whitefish Bay's 42-40 win over Grafton, and Bassindale soaked up 171 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns. Quarterback Cade Garcia also threw for 219 yards and two scores.

Brandon Berg, Pewaukee. He logged 19 carries, 125 yards and three touchdowns as Pewaukee took down Greenfield, 37-29, and secured the Woodland Conference championship. Seth Bickett added 133 yards and a score.

Jaylen Campbell, Catholic Memorial. Campbell ran for 143 yards as Catholic Memorial capped off an undefeated season with a 35-7 win over Waukesha North.

Julius Davis, Menomonee Falls. The workhorse running back logged 30 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown as Falls pulled one of the biggest upsets of the year, a 21-17 win over Brookfield Central that put the Indians in the playoffs.

Eric Dlugopolski, Dominican. In a win that granted the Knights their first-ever WIAA playoff berth, Dlugopolski ran seven times for 161 yards and three touchdowns. Daniel Walton also racked up 173 yards and a score in the 31-26 win over Martin Luther.

Luke Howard, Martin Luther. It came in a losing effort, but Howard racked up six catches for 165 yards and two scores against Dominican.

Paris Howell, Wauwatosa West. The Trojans were in a must-win situation to make the playoffs and Howell and friends delivered. The running back churned out 163 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 carries as Tosa West downed Cudahy, 55-20.

Will Kennedy, University School. He ran 25 times for 191 yards and saw the end zone a whopping seven times as University School dismissed Hope Christian, 61-0.

Caden Knauer, Grafton. The Black Hawks lost to Whitefish Bay, but they definitely gave the Dukes a scare in a 42-40 loss Knauer ran 16 times for 108 yards and two scores, and he also retunred a kickoff for touchdown.

Ryan Kolasinski, Brookfield Academy. The Blue Knights threw a scare into Lake Country Lutheran thanks in part to his five catches, 134 yards and two tocuhdowns, and he also looged 10 tackles and an interception on the other side of the ball. Ian Francis threw for 206 yards, as well.

Drew Lewszczynski, Brookfield Central. Seldom does a player show up in all three offensive columns. Even though it came in a losing effort, the Central quarterback completed 5 of 10 passes for 103 yards and a score, ran for 68 yards and also caught two passes for 18 yards.

Max Meleski, New Berlin West. It was a winner-take-all scenario against Whitnall, and Meleski led the way with 20 carries for 112 yards and four touchdowns as the Vikings punched their dance ticket.

Adam Mielke, Lake Country Lutheran. The Lightning don't often get to ride any one running back with a number of blowout wins on the docket, but Mielke got 15 carries against Brookfield Academy on Thursday, good for 122 yards and three scores as LCL wrapped up an undefeated season.

Bryce Miller, New Berlin Eisenhower. The Lions went into the playoffs with a 42-0 win over Messmer/Shorewood, as Miller completed half of his 16 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers.

Ben Nienhuis, Oconomowoc. The Raccoons' gunslinger closed the season in style with another huge performance. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 412 yards and five touchdowns, with two of those balls (and 174 yards) belonging to Zach clayton. The game with West Bend West was tied at halftime at 21-21, and OHS went on to win, 55-21.

Collin Sathe, Germantown. The Warhawks needed a win to get into the playoffs, and the quarterback Sathe was instrumental in leading his team to a 45-28 victory. He completed 9 of 16 passes for 170 yards and two scores and also ran 12 times for 134 yards nad another touchdown.

Jakup Sinani, Oak Creek. In a win Oak Creek absolutely had to have, Sinani completed 20 of 34 passes for two touchdowns and 251 yards, and he also threw a go-ahead 2-point conversion pass in the final minute as the Knights downed Indian Trail, 29-28. Without that win, Oak Creek's season comes to an end. James Carter caught eight passes for 131 yards, and Ryan Harvey-Turner caught nine passes for 98 yards, two scores and the aforementioned conversion.

AJ Spychala, Muskego. In one of the more remmarkable defensive performances of the season, Spychala returned a fumble for a touchdown, an interception for a touchdown and stripped away the ball for his third turnover of the night to clinch a 21-14 victory over powerful Arrowhead.

Jordan Xiong, Waukesha West. Fellow running back Peter MacCudden still had two scores and 92 yards, but Xiong had the big numbers with 132 yards and three touchdowns as West handled Waukesha South.

Eric Zoeller, Homestead. The playmaking quarterback prepared to lead the Highlanders on the pursuit of a second straight state title with 220 rushing yards and a touchdown in a win over Cedarburg. he also completed half of his 12 pass attempts for another score.